School Dayz
by Martianlightsaber
Summary: When Jim gets to the Interstellar Academy, all is not smooth sailing - and it's not just too much homework. He's got a mystery attacker on his tail and the situation may have galactic consequences. Some Harry Potter parallels. ON HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"_I'd like to recommend you to the Interstellar Academy, they could use a man like you."_

No sooner had Captain Amelia said these words that Jim Hawkins was one of the choice candidates for the coming year of enrollment at the Academy. The Academy was for the galaxy's elite, accepting only 60 students galaxy-wide each year, every one of them graduating with the highest honors to become fine captains in the Royal Intergalactic Navy.

Jim's eyes swept over his letter of acceptance one more time, while sitting in Doctor Doppler's observatory, bathed in the glow of the etherium. Although he knew that after the Treasure Planet experience, he had more than proven himself, he could still hardly believe that he was going to a school for the elite, when just a year ago, he was failing all his classes and on the brink of being sent to juvenile hall. He was mulling over this, imagining what school life would be like there when his mother's call jolted him from his thoughts.

"Jim! The Dopplers are home!"

In one fluid move, Jim slid down the banister and landed just in time to come face to face with the bumbling doctor and his elegant wife.

"Jim, how wonderful to see you again! I was just thanking Sarah for the two of you taking care of our home while we were away on our honeymoon."

"Yes Mr. Hawkins, and congratulations on your acceptance to the Interstellar Academy, I foresee you'll make a fine cadet."

Muttering a bashful "thanks" to the couple, Jim raced to the kitchen where he helped his mother to bring out the sumptuous dinner she had prepared as a welcome home feast for the Doc and the Captain. The four of them settled around the table, exchanging the recent happenings on Montressor, how the rebuilding of the Benbow was going, and of fun-filled adventures in the Coral Galaxy, where Amelia recounted Delbert's multitudes of missteps and fumbles which led to some of the galaxy's most awkward situations.

Almost three hours later, Jim, sides aching from laughing at the animated recounts, peppered with morph's delightful imitations, had retired to his temporary room next to the observatory. He glanced at the calendar hanging on the opposite wall and realized with a start that the start of the school term was less than two weeks away.

"Well Morph, guess I better get packing." He addressed the hyperactive blob as it zoomed into his room, full up after eating all the leftovers from dinner.

"Better get packing!" It hiccupped, flying in circles round Jim's head before settling down on a shelf, watching Jim grab his limited wardrobe off their hangers and laying them out on his bed. Not being one for fashion, Jim surveyed his collection of green, brown and black shirts as well as his oversized jacket, nodded in satisfaction and proceeded to stuff them into an old suitcase.

He finally collapsed in bed after an hour, deciding that he still had a lot of time to pack over the next two weeks, and stared intently at the sloped ceiling, trying to devise a way of packing solar surfer parts as inconspicuously as possible.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I know the previous chap was a bit short, hope this one's a little better - introducing a new character. Please R&R, I welcome criticism too.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 2**

Two weeks later

"JIM! You forgot your biology kit!"

Jim ran back for what seemed like the tenth time to collect random forgotten artifacts from his ever-meticulous mother. They had gone to collect most of his school supplies from Spaceport Crescentia while other more obscure items were mail-ordered from the Academy's supplies. Jim couldn't believe how much was required for the school, from specialized stationery, textpad and textchips (electronic versions of textbooks), kits for all sciences, as well as four different uniforms for different occasions – everyday, casual, sports and formal. All this would surely have put a huge strain on their family's financial status if it wasn't for the few jewels Silver had supplied Jim before escaping on the skiff.

Satisfied that he really had everything this time, Jim gave his mother a tight hug, knowing how hard it was for her to let him leave for school for six months at a time. Because Montressor was in such an obscure part of the galaxy, Jim would only be able to return for the summer and winter breaks for the next four years of schooling. He brushed a stray tear from his eye before facing his mother again, putting on his brightest smile that exuded all the confidence he possessed.

"Just do your best Jim, you know I'll always be proud of you."

Sarah Hawkins smiled warmly at her son, swelling with pride, and happy for his bright future.

"'Course mum."

With that, he waved farewell as he jogged onto the transport that would bring him to the spaceport, where the Academy ferry would pick him up.

At the spaceport

"Where is it Morph?"

Jim had decided to bring Morph along, knowing that his company had the power to brighten his day no matter what, and that he wanted a reminder of Silver to give him inspiration. Right now however, he was feeling slightly deflated, as he heaved his heavy suitcase along the docks of Crescentia, unable to identify the Academy's ferry. His eyes swiveled between docks 5 and 6, trying in vain to spot the dock printed on his letter: _51/2_. Believing there had been some mistake, Jim was about to call Captain Amelia for directions when he saw a rectangular portal materialize before his eyes right in between docks 5 and 6. With an excited squeak, Morph dashed into the portal, leaving Jim to struggle with his suitcase ten meters behind.

As Jim passed through the portal, he was strongly reminded of Treasure Planet – before him was a grand ship, magnificent as the RLS Legacy and sparkling like the mountains of gold in the core of Flint's Trove. A hoverbot appeared by his side and motioned for his suitcase, which it transported to the ship's cargo hold as another two bots ushered him aboard the ship.

Jim looked in wonder down the red carpeted corridors of the ship, resembling a cruise vehicle more than a school ferry. All of a sudden he felt completely out of place, in his green shirt and baggy jacket. He noticed that most of the rooms were empty, deducing that Montressor must have been one of its first stops, being on the outskirts of the galaxy.

"Welcome aboard the Academy Ferry. We will now be proceeding to our third stop. We will arrive at the Academy in about 7 hours. Enjoy your trip."

Jim nodded absently as he wandered down the corridor, intending to find the single other occupant of the ship for some company. He finally found the last room at the end of the corridor occupied and was pleasantly surprised to find another human girl, around his age, with a head of short, neatly-cut, jet-black hair, thin, rectangular-rimmed glasses and slightly oriental features. She was bent over her textpad, intently studying its contents and furiously copying notes into a small notebook, completely oblivious to Jim's presence.

"Ahem," Jim cleared his throat softly.

Jerking her head up abruptly, the girl quickly kept her textpad and notebook, stood up and extended a hand to Jim in an absurdly business-like fashion.

"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Jade Subaru Triton from the planet Earth. You are?"

"Jim Hawkins," Jim replied, gingerly taking her hand, which she pulled back after one brisk shake. If she was glad for the company, she did not show it, and neither did she seem to have any inclination to start a conversation. Her textpad was out once again and she continued her previous engagement of copying stuff into her notebook.

"Er, so what's it like on Earth?" Jim started awkwardly, deciding that he'd rather have a reluctant bookworm for a conversation partner than no one at all for the next 7 hours.

"We're about 50 parsecs away from the Academy, in the fifth arm of the galaxy. Most of the planet is covered in water with about 30 percentof land, and humans are the only intelligent species on the planet. I had a good look at Montressor on our way here, I take it it's a mining planet with a rich source of granite and arcturian crystals. It also used to be covered in water till some time in its recent history where a meteorite impact evaporated the liquids, that's why it switched its industry to mining. Am I correct?"

"Er, yeah, I guess." Jim stuttered, not being quite ready for an assault of intellectual questions about his home planet, whose geography and history he had never quite paid attention to in school. It suddenly occurred to him that this girl might not be a first-year at the Academy like he was, accounting for her vast knowledge of a planet she probably had never even set foot on, so he ventured another query, mentally preparing himself for another onslaught of encyclopedic reciting. He got it.

"Oh I'm sixteen and this is my first year in the Academy, like you. It's really quite an honor for me because this is the first time Earth's International Space University is sending a candidate for the ISA. We've been very closed off from the rest of the galaxy for a very long time, the astronomers there had never been able to establish contact with other intelligent life forms in space till less that a decade ago. I recognized Montressor from the databank textchip the Academy provided us, I was really very surprised that we stopped there at all considering its remoteness; just as surprised as the ISA allowing a candidate from a technologically backward planet such as Earth. You must be very exceptional, I've read that although the ISA candidates are selected on a meritocracy basis, most students come from rich backgrounds."

"How'd you know I'm a first year too?" Jim replied bewildered, not having fully digested the rest of her narrative quite yet and attempting to buy time for that.

"It's simple, the older students will look much less clueless. Furthermore you obviously haven't read the Academy dress code," Jade flicked the back of her hair with her pen to indicate Jim's ponytail.

Academy dress code? This was something Captain Amelia hadn't pointed out. He figured that anything she didn't mention couldn't be too important, and decided to ignore Jade's last comment. They spent the next half hour engaging in conversation, which consisted more of Jim asking questions, being treated to a highly informative monologue, then contributing a few disconnected phrases of his own in response to Jade's questions on Montressor and the Etherium in general. Treasure Planet never came up.

Over the next two hours, the ferry started getting more filled up as stops were made around the galaxy arms, before taking a spiraling route toward the galaxy center. Jim had decided to move up to the deck of the ship for the scenery, leaving Jade in peace to continue her advanced studying. (Jim had found out that besides having read through the Academy code of conduct, she had also studied the entire first semester's work for 8 out of 10 subjects and was in such an uptight mood because she had intended to finish all 10 subjects before leaving for the Academy. Jim couldn't think of any response to this except to quit prodding her with questions and leave her in peace.)

It wasn't long before there were other students milling about the deck, catching up with classmates or simply enjoying the view like Jim. Unfortunately, not all the Academy students were quite as good-natured as those Jim had seen so far.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Move over twerp."

A pale-faced human boy with gelled light-brown hair, about the same size and height as Jim stood before him, a glare and a nasty smirk plastered on his face. Behind him stood a larger Tipocan boy, and neither of them looked very friendly. Jim was well aware that getting into a fight before he even set foot in the Academy was most certainly not a good move, and was fairly sure that the good Captain would get wind of any misbehavior, but it simply wasn't in his feisty character to let himself be pushed around. Silver's words on learning how to pick fights echoed in his head, and he fought back the urge to punch the boy in the face.

"Why should I?" He challenged instead, stealthily reaching into his pocket to prod Morph for help in case he needed it.

"Because this is my spot, loser. And I can easily make you move if you won't do it by yourself."

"Try me."

With that the Tipocan launched himself at Jim, just as Morph transformed into a rope, tripping the burly being, causing him to fall flat on his face, making the deck shudder momentarily.

"Gee, you really should get a less clumsy bodyguard" Jim smirked, before jogging off toward the rooms again, leaving the fuming arrogant kid staring after him open-mouthed as the rest of the deck's occupants crowded around the fallen Tipocan, eager to see the cause of the commotion.

Jim felt particularly accomplished, having just won a fight and got off scot-free. Well technically Morph won the fight for him, so he whipped out a few of Morph's favorite chocolate bars for his pink friend to munch on. As he reached the room at the end of the corridor once more, figuring that Jade ought to have a study break after almost three hours, he noticed that she once more had company. A lanky human boy with streaked blond and brown hair was chatting animatedly, but apparently having no more success in having a casual conversation with her than Jim did. He turned immediately as Jim entered, visibly relieved at the prospect of a more intelligible conversation partner, and mirrored Jim's expression of surprise that there were so many humans in one batch of Academy intake.

"Hi! I'm Jeff, Jeffrey Orion Nova actually but everyone calls me Jeff. You must be… Jim Hawkins!" He cried excitedly as his eyes widened considerably.

"Did Jade say so?" Jim asked, confused as to how he could possibly be recognized.

"EVERYONE in my part of the galaxy knows about Treasure Planet man! The pirates from your crew go for rehab somewhere in those parts and the story spread like wildfire, you are FAMOUS dude! Not to mention I hear you're wicked with the solar surfer." He finished with a wink.

Jim brightened considerably upon hearing this last part, and they launched into an intense play-by-play of all their escapades, exchanging building tips and stunts, while Jade rolled her eyes and continued to study, occasionally perking up whenever they discussed the engineering of their surfers, contributing some of her scientific knowledge in this area. Jeff turned out to be a pretty nice guy, similar to Jim in many ways, although his parents were more on the wealthy side and he had had an older brother at the Academy before.

About an hour before the ferry was due to arrive at the Academy, lunch was sent around to all the rooms, and thankfully it wasn't bonzabeast stew. The three humans continued chatting amiably over their sandwiches and purp juice, speculating what their experience at the Academy would be like. Even Jade, with all her reading up, wasn't entirely sure how the place was run, but supplied interesting facts on the Academy's history, along with famous captains who had graduated from there.

"We only have forty-five minutes left, you two better change into uniform too," she stated, breezing out of the room as soon as lunch was done. Only then did it dawn on the two boys that they were expected to be in their formal attire for the first day of school, which were in their suitcases in the cargo hold. Panicking, they dashed off to find the hoverbots that had brought their luggage, and succeeded in extracting their uniforms after a good half an hour of begging.

They returned to the room to find Jade wearing an incredulous yet slightly smug look, looking very prim and proper in her uniform, which was cut slightly differently from the boys' although it also consisted of a cream jacket and pants. She had already packed her backpack, which she reminded Jeff to do so as well. Jim didn't have one, as he didn't see the need to have anything with him on the Ferry ride.

The students began crowding on the deck to get their first look of the Interstellar Academy, situated on Huxxub in the heart of the galaxy.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Is it moving too slowly? Too much incessant stuff? A lot of it is modified from my real life school experiences so I can tend to go overboard with details of lessons and stuff... please R&R, thank you Courtesy and Captain Amelia for reviewing!

**Chapter 4**

The glittering planet of Huxxub sparkled before their eyes, and many of the new cadets gazed, enraptured. Even many of the older students were stilled awed by it, rarely having the opportunity of seeing the planet from above except during term breaks.

"All cadets assemble according to year! First years nearest the exit, second years near the bow, third years in the center and fourth years near the stern!" the voice sounded over the ship's announcement system. Any regular person's shouting voice would not have been heard over the hubhub and commotion the students were making. Jim, Jade and Jeff were jostled toward the exit, the student body a fluid mass of 240 cream particles bumping into each other as they headed to their respective areas.

The ferry soon docked just outside the Academy grounds, where a figure was waiting for the first years in the distance. Jim, Jade and Jeff carefully made their way off the ship without getting tripped or pushed, and headed towards the figure, who was gesturing for the first-years to follow. Nearing the figure, Jim suddenly stood stock-still with realization, causing students behind him to collide with each other.

"C-C-C-CAPTAIN!" Jim spluttered.

"Yes James, spot-on as usual," Amelia replied, smiling at his disbelief.

"So _that's_ why you left us early?"

"Yes that's right Mr. Hawkins, I'm glad you've finally figured that out, now if you please, there are 59 others here who need to briefed." The Captain gave him a friendly smirk, before turning to address the rest of the first-years, some awed that Jim was familiar with the Captain, others suppressing giggles at the exchange.

"First-year cadets, welcome to the Interstellar Academy. I am Captain Amelia and you will address me as 'Captain' or 'ma'am' at all times, is that clear?"

A chorus of 'yes' with some muttering was vaguely heard across the assembly of students. Captain Amelia, being naturally dissatisfied with such a response, treated these newcomers with the same tone she had used with Jim on the Treasure Planet voyage, eliciting the desired response after the third try.

"Very good. Now during your time at the Academy, you will be equipped with all the knowledge you need to become captains of ships in the Royal Intergalactic Navy, or for those of you on scholarship from your respective home planets, all the technological know-how for advancement of your planet's capabilities. We have reviewed your resumés and recommendations and have placed all of you into 4 batches, or houses if you please, which will serve as your family and home for your time here. For your first week here you will all have an orientation program as a level instead of as a batch, during which you will be in my charge. I expect all cadets to adhere to the Academy code of conduct. Any deviants will receive proper punishment and credit will be deducted from their batches. Are you all clear?"

This time the "yes ma'am" rang through clear and coordinated, prompting another smile from the Captain.

"Cadets, assemble in a straight row, I will be guiding you in the code of conduct, considering it is your first time here, and many of you, I am sure, have not yet read the Code's textchip." She continued, glancing briefly at Jim again.

Jim, Jeff and Jade assembled at the end of the line, the two boys fidgeting with their uniforms nervously, certain that the stern captain would have a few things to point out about their outward appearance, and each hoping she had not seen their past school discipline records. Jade, on the other hand stood at ease, a serene expression on her face, calmly waiting for the captain to go down the line of 59 other students.

"Boots, lace them up. Collar, straight please. Earrings, remove them. Hands behind your back…" Captain Amelia inspected each new cadet, sharply ordering each to tidy up an aspect or two of his/her appearance. She was used to this routine each year, nit-picking to the extent of perfectionism, keeping the Academy's standards high. The line moved like a wave, as each student bent down or turned around to correct whatever error they had made while Amelia moved on. It was almost fifteen minutes before she reached the human trio.

"Unclasp your fist from your jacket young man, it'll do neither your uniform nor your hand much good. Chin up please. Mr. Hawkins, I knew I didn't see you reading your code of conduct hm? Remove the earring, and much as I see that tail of yours as a trademark from our previous voyage, it has to go," She said, swiftly slicing the tail away with her razor-sharp claw. Jim's eyes widened in horror as felt her removing the tail he had carefully kept since eight, that had been a part of him since he'd been able to solar-surf. (A/N: Ah! I'm sorry for committing such a horror but it only makes logical school-rule sense)

Amelia turned to Jade, fully expecting to notice some rule-breaking. When she could find none, she looked harder, ears perking up with sudden attention and eyes going wide as they had when she first saw the map of Treasure Planet. The girl was standing at ease, chin up and confident, with her hair neatly-cut and her uniform impeccable. Even the captain circling her did not seem to unnerve her as she kept her eyes forward the whole time. With a sincere smile, Amelia departed from the end of the line to return to address the group. Jim turned to Jade in amazement, having been the only one to escape the captain's hawk-like inspection without a word or comment.

"Good, now that all of you have been briefed and are familiar with the basic rules, you will be separated into your batches, where your luggage is already waiting for you. After you have seen your dormitories, you will return to the main auditorium to be briefed on your schedule for the first week. The batches are Altair, Betelgeuse, Castor and Denube, each with a special trait which you will find out in due time. After I read your name and your batch, step forward toward the labeled lines behind me. When your batch is assembled, they will open into portals to transport you to your dormitories. Arame, Corrine, Betelgeuse. Akkon, Tombaque, Castor.…"

Each student stepped out from the row as his/her name was called, while the rest of the students shuffled closer together, watching the line grow shorter.

"Drake, Hiram, Denube" was called out, as the pale boy with the light brown hair Jim encountered stepped forward, a smug look on his face. Jim instantly made a mental note that he would bargain with the captain if he was put in the same batch. Preoccupied with this thought, he hardly realized he had been called to join Altair until Jade prodded him. To their great surprise, all three humans were placed in Altair, together with seven other boys and five other girls, including a felinid and a canid.

As she reached the end of the name list, Amelia gave one sharp resounding clap, and four mini-portals similar to the one that had opened at Crescentia opened to reveal pristine gray corridors leading to the four doors which led to the dormitories. The Altair dormitory was magnificent to say the least. In the midst of the modern technological wonder that was the Academy, the Altair dorm was small piece of tasteful historical grandeur, complete with fireplace, rosewood furniture, well-used yellow-cushioned armchairs, marble pillars and overall amazing architecture. All 15 newcomers gawped open-mouthed at their surroundings, while older students who had already settled in welcomed them warmly, every second-year searching for the first-year he or she was assigned to, to commence the buddy-system in-batch orientation. The room was circular with the batch banner strung up in the center, a golden cloth with the image of a bronze eagle in the center. Smaller corridors led away from the room toward the dormitories, girls on the right and boys on the left, with each corridor clearly labeled with the year.

Jim found himself partnered with a second-year canid boy, and felt very much like he was back in Doctor Doppler's mansion. He good-naturedly introduced Jim to some of the seniors they met, spending some time giving very practical advice on surviving homework in the Academy (such as taking note of which teachers did and didn't mind late work) as well as introducing the sporting events held over the course of the year. Jim was particularly interested in these, having had some form of experience in shooting during the Treasure Planet pirate escape as well as LOTS of space-racing experience from his solar surfer. He was then shown to his dormitory, which he shared with Jeff and a timid Velurian named Kaliro Mustaf. Jim had never seen a Velurian before, with their pale yellow skin, large black eyes and wide mouth, as well as 12 dexterous fingers on each hand, making them a race very skilled at small-part manufacture and research.

The first-years trooped down to the auditorium, guided by their buddies, an hour later to be briefed on the level orientation program. Captain Amelia once again stood before them on the podium, waiting for her audience to settle down from the excitement of their first day.

"Good evening once again cadets. Over the course of this week you will be given a tour around the school and its facilities as well as briefed on the various subjects and extracurricular programs in store for you over the year. Each student is expected to sign up for at least one extracurricular activity by the end of the week, and select which of your 10 subjects you wish to take at an advanced level. You will also have enjoyment, fear not, your seniors will be organizing cheer sessions and modern dance on Day 6 while you will be brought to the nearby spaceport on Day 7 to familiarize yourself with the neighborhood. I will be leaving you at the end of this week for a voyage, so from then on you will be in the charge of your batch leaders who are also your subject teachers. Student councilors from the upper levels also have authority in the Academy, whereby any misbehavior on your part will result in loss of credit for your batch. Exemplary performance in class will earn you credit, so I encourage you all to go for your lessons prepared." Captain Amelia finished, with emphasis on her last word.

As the muttering and discussion picked up, the new cadets were handed their schedule for the week, which included introductory lessons for each subject to help them decide if they were to take it at a higher level, facility tours, ice-breaker games, an inter-batch drama competition, modern dance, cheering and the spaceport excursion. The students were then ushered to the cafeteria where they once again separated into their own cliques to jabber excitedly about their plans for the upcoming events.

Two hours and a very full stomach later, Jim, Jeff and Jade trudged up to their dormitory and collapsed onto a three-seater sofa, grinning from ear-to-ear after their first day at the Academy. Jade was most excited about attending the introductory lessons, although she already knew what was to be covered, she calculated that with the limited schooling hours, she would only be able to take 7 subjects at an advanced level and wanted to choose these carefully. Jeff was itching to see the engineering facilities in the school, as well as get started with the drama and dance, being a naturally outgoing person.

Jim settled himself lower into the squishy sofa, considering what he was most excited about. Extracurricular activities, he decided, were most-awaited. But he had heard the captain reminiscing to the Doc about the fascinating lessons she had had in school, as well as seen the results of these in her excellent management of the RLS Legacy. Overall, he had to say he was looking forward to everything at the Academy, as he quickly changed out of his uniform and collapsed in bed, exhausted from the long journey and his mind reeling with anticipation.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you all for your reviews! I've never quite been the stellar english student as you should already be able to tell but I'm trying :) Hopefully someday I'll improve.

blkbltbeauty: Haha yeah, I sorta belatedly realised the morph absence halfway through the chap and realised I didn't know how to fit him back him... -sheepish grin-

Courtesy: Thank you so much, I always value constructive criticism, so ironically I like english teachers... hope the plot is moving somewhere this time, I'm stillworking onfinding a balance between description and storyline.

Captain Amelia: Update here :P

**Chapter 5**

**Timetable**

_Day 1_

0700 – 0800hrs: _**Introductory lesson:** Mechanics_

0800 – 0900hrs:_ **Introductory lesson:** Exobiology_

0900 – 0930hrs:_ Break_

0930 – 1100hrs: _**Extracurricular activity tour:** Sports_

1100 – 1200hrs:_ Batch discussion_

1200 – 1300hrs:_ Lunch_

1300 – 1500hrs: _Icebreaker games_

1500 – 1600hrs:_ **Facility tour:** Wing A_

Jim shoved his timetable back into his pocket and craned his neck to see over the hovering mass of first years. It was only 0645hrs but all 60 cadets had already choked down a quick breakfast and were crowding around the entrance of the lecture hall. He couldn't find either Jeff or Jade so contented himself with standing at the back, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet to scan the crowd. Suddenly a hand shot out from within the crowd to grab Jim's wrist, hauling up to the front.

"Hey dude! You're gonna miss the best seats standing where you were!"

Jim heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of his two friends, for a moment almost thinking that he'd somehow gotten into trouble again. They were pressed again the door to the right entrance of the lecture hall with barely any space to breathe. Suddenly a high and squeaky voice broke through the excited chatter.

"Come in cadets!"

And no sooner were these words said that the heavy doors swung open and the trio literally stumbled into the hall and secured some of the best front-row seats. Their mechanics teacher, Professor Fluxion, was a miniscule being of Velurian origin. His already big black eyes were further magnified by centimeter-thick glasses and gave the impression of a rather intelligent fly. Smiling broadly at the new students, he waved his short arms, indicating for the cadets to settle down.

"Good morning! I am, as you can see on the board, Professor Fluxion, and I will be teaching you mechanics for your four years with the Academy. I'm so happy to see you all so enthusiastic about your lessons! Now I do not expect all of you to be equally skilled in this subject because of your varied phenotypes, and each species is more capable in some areas than others. However, you will not be graded on perfection, but on your eagerness and to learn and grasp concepts which can be later applied with the aid of tools. Now, who can tell me the principle that all engineering was based on before we learned to untangle particles at the sub-quark level?" (A/N: I know nothing about quantum physics, I'm just plucking names here)

Instantly Jade's hand shot up. Fluxion did a quick profile match before calling upon her.

"Yes Ms. Triton?"

"Conservation of energy. Energy is equal to mass multiplied by the square of the speed of light. It is transformed from one form to another and can neither be created nor destroyed."

Fluxion beamed at her before awarding Altair its first 10 credits for the year. The lesson carried on in a casual manner, with Professor Fluxion advising students not to copy notes but to listen and absorb, because introductory mechanics was about concepts rather than details. Even Jim and Jeff had their opportunity to answer application questions about solar sails and surfers.

The class soon filed out of the lecture theatre in high spirits, glad to know that Academy classes weren't drab and boring, or at least mechanics class wasn't. Jade was busy listing down the plusses and minuses of taking mechanics at an advanced level while Jeff tried to ask their Velurian roommate more about theirs species' mechanical advantages and whether or not he like solar surfing. This left Jim free to wander around the rest of their cohort, occasionally chatting up students from other batches and generally getting acquainted. It wasn't long, however, before he once again bumped into Hiram Drake and his Tipocan bodyguard.

"Well, if it isn't Treasure Planet boy, Captain's pet," he said with a sneer.

_So he's jealous?_ Jim thought, quirking an eyebrow and taking the opportunity to size up his enemy more carefully. Only this time, he realized that Drake wasn't entirely human as he'd first assumed. His eyes were vaguely yellow, and slanted up at a slightly unnatural angle, giving him a sinister, predatory cat look.

"No smart comebacks this time twerp? You know, things are happening at this Academy and you're already on the wrong side," he hissed into Jim's ear, before pivoting and stalking off, leaving Jim confused about the boy's words. _Maybe he's just trying to unnerve me._ Jim concluded, going off to find Jeff and Jade, feeling distinctly unsettled.

He didn't have the opportunity to tell his friends about the encounter with Drake before their exobiology professor entered the lab through what Jim had first considered to be the wall. Upon closer scrutiny, that section was in fact just a hologram wall with protective shields, supposedly to keep whatever was behind it away from the students. The gangly amphibious professor glided into the laboratory on his hoverboard, and surprised everyone with a telepathic greeting.

"Hello cadets, I am professor Nassum, please bring out the biology kits you were provided with and place them on your desks," the instruction boomed into their minds, making some of them wince. Clearly exobiology was going to be a no-nonsense lesson unlike the one they had just come from. Jim was momentarily grateful that Jade had reminded the two of them to bring all their supplies "just in case", although he didn't appreciate lugging the chunky kit around during the coming tours after lunch.

By the end of the lesson, all the cadets staggered out of the class slightly disoriented from constructing a comprehensive dichotomous key of all the species which had so far been discovered in the fifth arm of the galaxy. Within that one hour they had also traced the evolutionary lines of their own species to determine the location of origin of their phenotype. They had then painstakingly transferred all this into their textchips, with the watchful professor giving "advice" in the form of mind-blowing mental assaults whenever they lost track of which line they were supposed to be transcribing.

"I am NOT taking exobio at advanced if I were offered a million creds!" Jim lamented as they made their way to the cafeteria for their morning break. Jade quickly retorted with a long list of the advantages of learning about alien life forms, citing her planet's lack of such databank resources, thus receiving incredulous looks from her two companions.

"Well even if you knew all this stuff existed, what is the USE?"

"It's in the spirit of science!"

And so the exobio battle raged through the break, only pausing for the trio to take mouthfuls of some unnamed broth-like substance which tasted like macaroni in spinach sauce. Only at the mention of Proteus-1 did Jim remember that he'd left Morph sound asleep on the shelf in the dorm and raced back with crackers in hand to collect his chirpy pet.

As he plodded down the silent gray corridors to the now-empty dormitory, Drake's words once more surfaced in his mind. _"Things are happening at this Academy…"_ What things? It seemed like such a safe place, well-guarded by the most advanced technology and situated in the middle of the Galaxy's thriving knowledge hub district. Furthermore, neither the captain nor the doctor had ever mentioned any form of conflict to tarnish the Academy's reputation, much less a looming threat during the time he would be staying here. Still, he did not like the glint in Drake's eyes as he said this, nor the knowing smirk he flashed in the split second before he stalked away.

Jim absently greeted Morph with the crackers he had taken from the cafeteria, allowing the shape-shifter time to nibble on his meal before diving into Jim's pocket to settle down into a warm slumber once more. Finding his friends patiently waiting outside the cafeteria for the Extracurricular Sports tour to begin, Jim silently motioned for them to join him, lowering his voice to tell them about his encounter with Drake earlier that day.

"Do you really think he means it? He could just be pulling your leg you know," Jade stated matter-of-factly.

"I say that slimy little insect has something up his sleeves. His family is one of the richest in the galaxy but no one knows where they get their money from. Furthermore I don't like his eyes," added Jeff in a conspiratorial tone.

"I know. Those eyes, they look… familiar," Jim mused, trying to recall where he'd last seen them. His musings were cut short when one of the older students stepped up onto a chair, calling for the first-years to line up according to batch to be taken on their sports tour. It turned out that there were four categories of extracurricular sports: Combat, racing, accuracy and traditional ball games.

The Altair first-years gathered in the front rows of the shooting gallery, watching the seniors demonstrate the use of various different weapons for various purposes and situations.

"The weapons we use for training are all blanks or stunners, meaning that no one gets hurt during practice sessions. Only senior third and fourth-year cadets are permitted to use actual artillery because they participate in inter-batch competitions meant to prepare them for actual Navy life. There have been cases, however, of younger cadets showing particular talent so they may progress to real weapons faster. Today, we will be using blanks to demonstrate one of our regular practice sessions."

The first-years collectively leaned forward, eager to see how a practice session would be carried out in what seemed like an elaborate simulated battlefield. One senior kept a running commentary of the non-stop action within the gallery, smoke emanating from the dozens of blanks fired at the same time. Suddenly, without warning, a training grenade landed amongst the spectators, the small metallic ball rolling to a halt in between Jim and Jade, a small beep barely audible above the 'battle' still raging in the gallery.

With his naturally sharp eye and gut-feeling, Jim barely had time to shove Jade out of the way before the grenade exploded full-force, throwing the 60 new cadets off their feet.

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Okay I feel evil but I might have to go on hiatus because of an international geography competition coming up which I very smartly haven't started studying for... Will still try my best to update!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Here's the next chap, it's kinda short though... still on so-called hiatus till after mid-July, so will probably be really slow with updates (sorry!). Please do R&R, I appreciate all the reviews so far and welcome concrit.

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**Chapter 6**

"What in the universe…!" The senior cadets had rushed up to the stands, helping all the new cadets up and surveying the damage. The grenade was obviously no ordinary blank, the floor had practically been torn apart, with the upward force of the explosion clearing a neat hole through the roof. Fortunately besides a few minor bruises, no one was hurt.

Jim scrambled up from his protective position over his two friends, peering through the smoke and rubble toward the direction he thought the grenade came from, just in time to see a figure in a black cape disappear around the corner of the gallery. He swung around, scanning the crowd for Drake, spotting him and his crony together with the rest of the Denubes, in a safe spot far from the explosion, apparently enjoying the mayhem.

"Which deucedly idiotic person allowed the use of a GENUINE timed grenade during a DEMONSTRATION session for NEW cadets!" Captain Amelia stormed into the gallery stands, fingering the shell of the grenade in her claws, tapping it occasionally with a rhythmic metallic click. She continued to glare at the senior cadets while they shifted nervously from side to side, shooting sidelong glances at each other, each as clueless as the next. Finally one of the fourth-year cadets stepped forward bravely.

"We ask your forgiveness ma'am. The supplies to the demonstration were prepared and checked last night by all our members and were in perfect order ma'am. It did not occur to us to re-check them this morning before the actual demonstration."

Captain Amelia's eyes flashed with a flicker of doubt, making a quick scan of the grounds before resuming their stern glare, focused on the fourth-year, who was apparently the shooting team captain.

"Mr. Stronski, I expect better of you and your team from now on. You should be well aware that security is of utmost importance when you are in space, and is not to be taken lightly. Sometimes you do not know who is friend or foe, and being unprepared will be your undoing. I will not be penalizing you for this oversight, however you will make sure that this does not happen again. Am I clear?"

The shooting team softly muttered their concurrence with their head down, not wanting to face the wrath of an angry captain. The rest of the sports tour was postponed till further notice and all cadets were sent back to their dormitories to commence their batch discussions early while Academy staff were deployed to scour the grounds for any evidence that might point them to the attacker. The atmosphere was still tense, and everyone still jittery as the cadets made their way silently back to their dormitories.

Everyone was subdued as they sat in a circle in the dormitory, looking at each other, not quite sure where to start. The batch discussion was originally meant for the batches to discuss their drama item to be presented on Day 6, but with the recent events, no one was in the mood to come up with something as cheery as a drama production. Everyone seemed to be eyeing Jim, who would most certainly have been killed had he not jumped out of the way when he did. Fidgeting uncomfortably under the gaze of 14 others, as well as older students in the dormitory who shot him occasional glances, Jim excused himself and headed towards him room, with Jeff and Jade following closely behind.

In the sanctuary of his room, Jim sank into his bed while Jeff and Jade positioned themselves on either side of him. He replayed everything that had happened so far, from the veiled threat from Drake, to the Captain's unusual words. _"Security is of the utmost…"_ Perhaps she was just recalling the Treasure Planet voyage when they had traveled for months with a crew of pirates, but why did she bring it up here at the Academy? Furthermore, why was he being targeted, or was he simply always in the wrong place at the wrong time? Jim knew that if his mother ever got wind that he was in danger after being in school for just two days, she would go ballistic and find a way to pull him out, never mind that he had escaped a whole crew of pirates almost on his own the year before.

The three of them sat in companionable silence, Jade, for once, not running through a list of possibilities, knowing that it was probably a futile effort. Morph drifted out of Jim's pocket once more where he had been cowering during the entire grenade episode. But something caught Jim's eye.

"Morph, Morph what is that?" Jim asked as he struggled to reach the piece of paper Morph was holding high above his head. Finally grabbing it, he opened it to find that it was just his first week timetable. As he was about to put it away, Jade stopped him.

"Wait, there's something on the back."

True enough, written in block letters on the back of the schedule which Jim was sure was in his pocket the whole while, were the words, "GIVE IT BACK."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Gosh it's been forever since I updated... The competition still isn't over yet so I only wrote this out for stress relief, it's likely that the next time I get to write won't be till weeks later. Schoolwork... grumbles Oh well, R&R please, thanx!

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**Chapter 7**

Give it back? Give what back? Jim thought bewildered, his mind going into overdrive. He looked over the three words again and again, trying to figure out who it might be from, what they wanted, and most importantly how they had managed to slip his schedule out of and back into his pocket without him ever realizing. He looked over at Jeff and Jade, both looking equally mystified by the appearance of the message. They didn't have time to think about this further though, as the bell rang, indicating the beginning of lunch.

Jim didn't bring the paper out during lunch, not wanting Drake to have the satisfaction of getting to him, if he was indeed the author of the note. Having absolutely nothing to go on, the trio's conversation soon turned to other topics, speculating what their teachers of other subjects would be like. By the end of lunch, the grenade incident was a thing of the past, and the icebreaker session proceeded without slip-ups.

The 16-year-olds were initially appalled by the idea of playing such childish games of 'tag' and 'whacko' for the icebreakers, no one making a move to start the activity, but were soon eased into the momentum by their senior student councilors who got the ball rolling. It was amazing how such a simple, innocent game brought the cohort of 60 students from vastly different backgrounds together, and by the end of the hour, they were glowing with energy, radiating youthful enthusiasm and mostly on good terms with their fellow year-mates. Jim was in one corner, smiling contentedly at the students milling around, the events of the day pushed to the back of his mind as he took in the pleasant scene, wondering how anyone could have the heart to attack such a well-meaning group of teenagers, much less have an enemy amongst them.

These thoughts were momentarily interrupted as Jade approached him, excitedly gesturing towards a group of students from Castor whom she had evidently gotten along splendidly with (meaning they were pretty much on the same intellectual wavelength as her). She looked so much more lively and carefree than she had been previously, that Jim couldn't help butgrin back. They were once again joined by the exuberant Jeff who was raving lyrical about their seniors' solar surfing exploits, and the prospect of joining a planetary solar surfing team. Coming from Montressor, Jim had never heard of such teams and was instantly alight with interest.

The cadets were finally herded toward Wing A for their tour, the final item for the day. The main attraction? The Library. And it was quite a sight to behold. The library was an immense chamber, with row upon row of holobooks, textchips, Liquid Crystal Records, visual databases – anything, you name it. It held an archive of resources for the galaxy that dated back to nearly a millennium ago, and hoverbots patrolled the aisles to assist any student in his or her queries. Lining the main aisle were busts of all of the Academy's most noted captains and admirals, and at the far end of the library were two rooms used in object analysis and handling of suspicious artifacts.

This was clearly the resource center of not just the school, but the entire Knowledge Hub District, with beings bustling in and out from countless different entrances around the chamber, some of which, Jim suspected, were portals. The cadets were given some free time to roam around, so Jim let Morph out of his pocket for some fresh air. To his great surprise, the shape-shifter zipped off purposefully toward an area they had not yet come across, stopping before a seemingly empty part of the library.

"What is it Morph?"

Morph pointed to the center of the floor excitedly, transforming into a miniature Treasure Planet. Sure enough, Jim could just barely make out the familiar markings of connected circles which had been etched onto the map of Treasure Planet. The markings were very faded, worn away by generations of shuffling feet, such that only parts of circles and lines were still visible. Testing the circles by stamping on them, Jim concluded that they weren't buttons or anything that could be activated – they were simply remnants of an old carving, long forgotten by the occupants of the Academy. He puzzled over this odd coincidence, realizing that the threat and the assassination attempt might have had something to do with this. Hailing a hoverbot for information came to naught, as their databases only contained entries for the past two or three centuries.

Jim stared intently at the floor for a few minutes, brow furrowed, attempting to memorize the pattern and location of the carvings, before going off to find his two friends, hoping either of them would have some theory on what the Treasure Planet map would be doing in the middle of the galaxy's most active hub districts. It was only after he found them that he remembered that Jade still had no idea about Treasure Planet or his year-long voyage to Flint's trove. Fortunately for him, Jade _was_ the bookworm.

"Of course! It's just like a legend we have back home called 'Treasure Island', where the loot and riches of thousands lay buried under the sand of a deserted island. If I draw the analogy back to Earth, how would I explain a map of it appearing in say, the Natural History Museum in London? Of course this one must be much older and the legacy of Flint could have been much longer than anyone suspected…" she trailed off, apparently deep in thought, while Jim and Jeff looked on, neither having the foggiest idea where she was heading. Without warning, she sprinted off to the archive section, waving her hand indicating that they shouldn't wait for her. She still hadn't returned when the first years were dismissed for the day, so Jim and Jeff left for their dormitory, where they settled into armchairs and waited for her to return.

Jade wasn't in the cafeteria either when they went down for dinner an hour later, so they snuck some food back to the dormitory and tossed about their own theories on the map, since the first years hadn't been given any homework to do yet.

"You know, my older brother captains an expedition ship, those kinds that go on scientific exploration more than serve naval purposes. He might have seen some cases of this weird stuff, can't hurt to check." So the two boys set to work crafting a transmission to Jeff's older brother, adding as much detail as they could remember. Jade returned soon after, looking like she'd found something but wasn't quite ready to reveal what this was until she was absolutely sure.

The trio spent the rest of the night regaling in laughter as Jim recounted in more detail his trip to Treasure Planet, with Morph providing the visual aid and comic relief. It was still early when they retired to their rooms, but decided that it was best to be fresh and alert for whatever tomorrow would bring. Jim heard Jeff slip into a restful slumber almost instantly, but as the nightlights were turned off, Jim was once again left alone with his thoughts, and as he stared at the ceiling, slightly illuminated by the reflected light of surrounding satellites, he fell into an uneasy sleep, his dreams dotted with the disturbing events of the last two days.


End file.
